Western Class Structure Is Already Taking Shape in China

Since the end of the Cold War, the world has seen a number of “color revolutions” unfold.* I believe that these color revolutions fundamentally represent an evolution in U.S. peace initiatives which stem from the opposition of the major Western superpowers to all forms of authoritarian states. By using street politics and “democratic advocacy” as its modus operandi, the "color revolution" works to forge an ideological foundation for allied Western regimes to exploit. Many are now saying that we in China are being confronted with the reality of a color revolution on our soil.

The United States has already labeled China as both an authoritarian state and a dictatorship, making it a target for attempts at subversion. The U.S. will do whatever it takes to ruin China. From the outside, the U.S. is building a containment zone around China and engaging in partisan diplomacy. It is stirring up trouble, eroding China's development and its regional safety. From within, the U.S. is working to penetrate the Chinese conscience, planting the seeds of Western power by engineering democratic advocacy and plotting to bring China to its knees.

It is also worth considering that Western class structure is already taking shape in our country, along with the arrogance that accompanies it. For a long time, we have been instilled with the idea of accepting the West. We have been brainwashed by Western ideas and Western values. We accept the ideas of their public intellectuals and their elite, along with the cronyism and corruption that follow, and we even let them plunder China’s wealth to enrich the purses of powerful interest groups. The power of such groups is immense, and they are even capable of creating “hegemonic discourse” across the Internet and in the media. Looking through the lens of their academic perspective and Western values, they study and criticize China, and manufacture all kinds of rumors about the country.

As a final note, this country already possesses the fundamental sociological grounds for a color revolution. On a social level, people are awash with emotions such as “hatred of government, hatred of prosperity, and hatred of state-owned enterprises.” When something goes wrong, few speak out in support of the government, and instead, they malign the great efforts of the Communist party. The reasons for this attitude can naturally be traced back to popular issues like corruption, but at the same time, there is an underlying desire to incite hostility.

Once the color revolution begins, we must stop and realize that if we fail to prevent it from gaining traction, both internal and external hostile forces will gain significant leeway in China, and this absolutely has the potential to grow into widespread social disruption. If this happens, it will do serious damage to China's development environment, perhaps even to the point where it will threaten to stem China's rise.

We must respond to the threat posed by the color revolution. We must resolutely attack corruption and strengthen the rule of law. We must eliminate the animosity that people are feeling, and with it, the ground which ground which allows the color revolution to flourish. At the same time, we must cut off the pathways through which internal and external hostile forces operate, and recapture our lost position amid the public discourse. It is worthwhile in this situation to look at Russia's experience in preventing a color revolution.

*Editor’s note: “Color revolution” is a term used to describe largely peaceful uprisings against established leaders in the former Soviet Union and the Balkans in the early 2000s. The term has also been applied to revolutions elsewhere, including in the Middle East.

The author is a senior academic adviser on Chinese international strategy, and an instructor at Shanghai University.
tructor at Shanghai University.